


You are tired (I think)

by thewordsthatweareneeding



Category: Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Gen, Team Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-25
Updated: 2017-01-25
Packaged: 2018-09-19 22:09:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9462251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewordsthatweareneeding/pseuds/thewordsthatweareneeding
Summary: It’s not so much that Artemis Crock is a cuddler as it is that she’s a teenage girl going to school full time and also fighting crime full time and she is tired. If she happens to cuddle anything within an arm’s length when she falls asleep, well, that’s hardly her fault. They first discovers this a few weeks after she joins the team.Five times the team snaps of a picture of Artemis cuddling one of her teammates in her sleep (+ one time they don't)





	

**Author's Note:**

> trying to explore team dynamics a little bit before I try to get into any more plot-driven fic. I'm also just a total sucker for five times fic and team cuddling. title from the e.e. cummings poem

It’s not so much that Artemis Crock is a cuddler as it is that she’s a teenage girl going to school full time and also fighting crime full time and she is _tired_. If she happens to cuddle anything within an arm’s length when she falls asleep, well, that’s hardly her fault. They first discovers this a few weeks after she joins the team.

**I.**

Artemis likes to drop by the cave after a bad day at school. It gives her a chance to clear her head and cool down before facing her mother and all her well intentioned questions about tests and projects and how she’s getting along with her new classmates. Usually, Conner and M’gann are the only ones there, but Artemis sees that as a plus. Conner is a welcome companion when she’s in a bad mood; he’s a master at not probing or tiptoeing around her. M’gann has learned exactly which of Artemis’s expressions means questions are not welcome, and she’s learning to guess exactly what kind of comfort food Artemis needs based on the depth of the sigh she releases when she kicks her shoes off and flops on the couch.

 

On this particular day, Artemis trudges out of the zeta tube with a frown deep set enough to pinch her whole face together. She tosses her bag to the floor and sinks into a couch cushion before even bothering to say hi. M’gann and Conner raise their eyebrows at each other.

 

M’gann turns her gaze to Artemis, smiles, and says, “You’re just in time. I was about to make oatmeal cookies.”

 

Artemis shoots her a wary look before nodding and softening a little. M’gann flushes with pride before heading to the kitchen. She’s still trying to figure out why Artemis gets mad sometimes when M’gann tries to comfort her, or how being “too nice” can be “patronizing,” but she’s trying to learn. She’d chosen oatmeal cookies specifically because Artemis likes them, but they’re not her favorite. M’gann knows that when Artemis asks later why she made them, she can say she’s just practicing the recipe and Artemis will believe her. Sure, she’d rather just sit Artemis down and pat her back and talk about what happened, but this seems to work for her friend. M’gann is just happy when she can find a way to help.

 

That said, M’gann is careful not to hover. She doesn’t leave the kitchen until her baking is done and makes a real effort not to glance up or eavesdrop- she’s still grasping the privacy thing, but she knows it’s important to Artemis. Even so, she can’t help but catch Conner throw Artemis a questioning look. Artemis just shakes her head, to which Conner nods. After that, they both settle comfortably back into the couch, turning their attention back to the tv. M’gann smiles to herself. _What weirdos_ , she thinks, somehow incredibly endeared by the easy, silent understanding Artemis and Conner share. She goes to the cupboard and finds some chocolate chips to add to the cookies, resolving to ignore any irritated comments Artemis might make if she notices that chocolate is her favorite and M’gann knows it. She tunes out from the scene on the couch entirely, focusing instead on the recipe.

 

Thirty minutes later, M’gann brings a plate of steaming cookies out to set on the table. She stops abruptly in front of the couch, taking a good look at Artemis and Conner for the first time in a while. Artemis is curled up with her legs tucked under her, fast asleep. Her head is resting on Conner’s shoulder and M’gann thinks she might be clutching his arm, but it’s hard to tell. Conner, on the other hand, meets M’gann’s eyes with a look of panic and confusion. He is sitting stiller than she has ever seen him, clearly on edge. Everything in him shouts _what do I do_ , and Artemis looks so at ease, and M’gann’s heart just about explodes with how sweet it is.

 

 _Don’t move_ , she tells Conner telepathically.

 

She runs to her room to grab her phone, already grinning thinking of having this moment preserved as a picture forever. When she returns, Artemis and Conner are in exactly the same place, except maybe a little drool is starting to leave Artemis’s mouth, which M’gann thinks is really what makes the picture.

 

Just as M’gann is about to speak and gently wake Artemis, however, the zeta tubes announce the arrival of Robin. The sound jolts Artemis upright. She blinks and flushes, positioning herself firmly on the other end of the couch and sending a look to both of them daring either of them to say something. Robin enters the room with a quirked eyebrow.

 

“What’s going on here?” he asks.

 

Both Artemis’s scowl and flush deepen as she says, “Nothing.”

 

Conner, unassuming and confused as ever, simply says, “Artemis fell asleep.”

 

Robin’s face breaks out into a huge, mischievous grin, one that they’ve all seen before. Artemis lets out a strangled groan and grabs her backpack.

 

“Whatever,” she says. “I’m going home.”

 

 _Don’t worry_ , M’gann sends to Robin. _I have pictures._

**II.**

By the second time it happens, everyone on the team has one of the pictures saved on their phones, even Conner, who shrugs and says he thought people are supposed to have pictures of their friends, and Wally, who uses every opportunity he can to tease Artemis. Robin thinks it’s the most hilarious thing that’s ever happened on the team and vows that, should it happen again, he will be ready. Kaldur thinks that’s a little ridiculous, but the picture is sweet, and he has few pictures of his friends, so he saves a picture too and otherwise forgets it ever happened.

 

He doesn’t think of it at all until a mission turns into an overnight stakeout and the whole team is forced to wait out a rainstorm in hastily assembled tent. The cold and the wet don’t bother him so much, and he’s the leader, so he takes the spot on the floor closest to the tent’s opening and grits his teeth against the chill. Artemis takes the spot next to him, because it’s the next farthest from Wally and, in her own words, she has had about enough of him. Kaldur just nods and goes about making his bed.

 

He awakens later, with a vague feeling that something is wrong. He’s warmer than he expected he would be, and he has to take a moment to extricate his thoughts from memories of Tula. He’d dreamt about her and he could swear he could still feel her breath on his neck in his groggy state.

 

Except then he shifts, settling deeper into his blankets, and an arm wraps around his side. He stills. Carefully, he turns his head to see Artemis, pressed loosely against him, her forehead leaning into his shoulder. She is sound asleep.

 

Kaldur hesistates a moment, debating whether to wake her or not. He thinks she will be embarrassed to wake up in such a position, but they have all had such little rest, and she looks comfortable and warm. Either way, it is not altogether uncomfortable for him, merely unexpected. After a long moment, he turns away and closes his eyes, determined to utilize the last few hours before the sun rises.

 

Just before sleep claims him, he hears a rustling and a whisper that sounds like “Oh my GOD.” In the next moment, there is a flash of light and a cackle that has the entire team stirring and mumbling to each other. Robin stands triumphantly at the foot of the tent, clutching a phone and grinning that same mischievous smile.

 

“What the hell, _Robin_ ,” Wally mutters.

 

Robin’s grin widens impossibly and he tosses the phone to Wally with a casual, “Got you a souvenir, buddy.”

 

Even in the dark, Kaldur can see Wally’s eyes nearly bug out of his head. Conner grumbles his disinterest before turning to go back to sleep. M’gann coos over the picture. Kaldur can just barely hear her whisper to Wally, “Is Kaldur the ‘little spoon’ in this situation?”

 

Artemis curses and moves away from him, burying her head into her arms and trying to ignore them all.

 

**III.**

 

After that, Artemis is much more careful about being caught. There are plenty of close calls, where she dozes off on Conner’s shoulder during a long trip in the bioship, or starts to lean too far on Kaldur while they’re all piled onto the couch watching a movie, but she’s learned to jolt herself awake right before they snap the picture. So the group chat they’d created to share embarrassing pictures of her snuggling into an unsuspecting victim becomes more of a compilation of pictures of her scowling and flipping the camera off while wiping the drowsiness from her eyes. Wally takes this opportunity to start sharing pictures of her just sleeping in inappropriate places around the cave, which gives the team the unexpected gift of a particularly ridiculous picture of Artemis in the gym, asleep on her feet in, head leaning precariously against a punching bag. Robin manages to contribute a few pictures of Artemis sleeping in class as well, though no one really knows how he swings it. Artemis doesn’t think it’s nearly as funny as the rest of them do. She reminds them frequently that she’s walked in on every single one of them napping in a semi-public space and no one seems to think that’s funny.

 

“It’s _different,”_ Wally tells her, his voice patronizing and gloating at once.

 

Artemis bristles.

 

“He has a point,” M’gann says, and she thinks the earnestness in her voice may be the only thing that keeps Artemis from snarling at her. “When we usually see you, Artemis, you’re… _dangerous_.”

 

A dark look crosses Artemis’s face, and M’gann hurries to correct herself. “I just mean that you’re usually so strong and fierce, but when you sleep you look so…”

 

“Stupid,” Wally offers. Artemis elbows him in the side with a huff.

 

“Soft,” M’gann corrects. “And gentle.”

 

It’s the wrong thing to say apparently, because Artemis turns impossibly red and Wally bursts out laughing. Even Robin looks like he’s swallowing a chuckle. Kaldur grimaces and tells Wally to cool it, effectively ending the conversation. Conner touches M’gann’s shoulder lightly and offers her a shrug.

 

She’s never quite sure what she said wrong. M’gann honestly thinks the whole thing is sweet, like exactly the kind of running inside joke every friend group in every show she watched growing up seemed to have. It makes her feel more part of the team, which even she can admit is a little silly. Still, she finds herself nearly fidgeting with anticipation every time Artemis lets slip a yawn, waiting for the day when the archer becomes comfortable enough to let her guard down with her.

 

It’s not until one of the girl’s nights that M’gann is always trying to talk her into that it happens. Artemis let’s M’gann paint her nails and they watch cheesy romcoms and talk for hours, and M’gann thinks Artemis looks happy, despite her initial reluctance. M’gann knows Artemis is just indulging her most of the time, but that only makes her all the more grateful for the days when Artemis goes along with M’gann’s fantastic ideas about female Earth friendships.

 

When Artemis’s eyes start to droop, M’gann hops to her feet and goes to find the sleeping bag she asked Red Tornado to pick up. Sure, Artemis has her own room in the cave, but it’s not really a sleepover if they don’t sleep in the same room, M’gann insists. In all the movies M’gann has seen, the girls share the same bed, which makes her feel warm and sad at the same time, just like when she watches the girls at cheerleading practice fix each other’s hair and do each other’s makeup. M’gann thinks it must be nice to be that comfortable, that close to someone, but she also knows that Artemis isn’t like the girls on her cheerleading team and that it’s not personal. She knows better than to push Artemis any farther than reluctant manicures.

 

That’s maybe why M’gann just about starts to tear up when Artemis looks at the sleeping bag and almost bashfully says, “I mean, we could just share the bed. If you’re cool with it, or whatever.

 

M’gann breaks out into a huge grin.

 

“If _I’m_ cool with it?” she gushes, grinning widely before remembering to reign her joy in a little. She clears her throat and nods. “Yeah,” she says, “That sounds cool.”

 

Artemis gives her a small smile before pulling the comforter up around her. M’gann slides in next to her, already buzzing at the thought of getting to tell her cheerleading teammates about this, about having her very own normal earth girl sleepover story. It takes a while for her to stop fixating on how much it feels like being in a tv show enough to actually fall asleep.

 

When she wakes up, Artemis’s head is resting in the crook of M’gann’s neck, her hands clutched up to her chest so they press gently into M’gann’s shoulder. M’gann thinks briefly about taking a picture, but decides that this is different. That maybe this is a memory she’ll keep to herself, after all.

 

Even so, M’gann ends up getting her moment in the sun less than a week later, when Artemis falls asleep on her shoulder during a lecture from Captain Atom. In the picture Robin takes, Artemis looks incongruously peaceful with Captain Atom frowning, arms crossed, just in front of her. M’gann is tense, but she is smiling, and she likes the picture so much that she saves it in Artemis’s contact information on her phone.

 

**IV.**

 

Zatanna honestly thinks it isn’t fair that she wasn’t around for any of this. She’s heard the stories, sure, and seen the pictures, and she was quickly added to the group chat the team uses to share the pictures, so really, she hasn’t been left out at all. It’s just that knowing Artemis Crock as well as she does makes knowing Artemis Crock is a cuddler something she definitely has to see to believe.

 

After about two months on the team, she begins to think the whole thing was some kind of photoshop prank they’d been playing on her all along. Artemis has had plenty of opportunities to reveal her mysterious, secretly tactile and affectionate side, but no amount of Zatanna linking their arms together or laying her feet in Artemis’s lap when they’re sitting gets more of a reaction from Artemis than a brief, wary look. To be fair, Zatanna is maybe the only one who can get away with such casual intimacy with Artemis and receive nothing more aggressive than cautious indifference, which she counts as a major victory.

 

Zatanna is slowly figuring out just how good she is at racking up small victories when it comes to Artemis. She’s only just figured out that if Artemis is tired enough, she becomes much more easily persuaded, which is how she ends up getting Artemis to let her try to learn how to fishtail braid on her.

 

“I think I need to do it on someone else before I can do it on myself, so I can see it, you know?” Zatanna chatters.

 

“M’gann loves that stuff,” Artemis points out.

 

Zatanna deepens her pout in response. She doesn’t miss the moment Artemis takes to wrinkle her nose and sigh, which she recognizes as the early warning signs of Artemis running out of patience.

 

“Yeah, but M’gann’s out with Conner, and I’m bored _now_ ,” Zatanna says. “Please, Art?”

 

Artemis rolls her eyes and massages her temples with her fingers. After a moment, her hands drop to her sides, palms upward in surrender.

 

“Sure. Whatever. But I have to work on math homework, so you can’t talk or anything.”

 

“Deal,” Zatanna says, grinning.

 

Artemis is true to her word, dropping down onto the couch in front of Zatanna, laying her math textbook and her notebook neatly in front of her before pulling her hair out of her ponytail. Zatanna combs her fingers through it and frowns.

 

“When was the last time you brushed your hair?” Zatanna asks, voice dripping with exasperation.

 

Artemis turns to give her a warning look. Zatanna smiles her concession, grabbing a comb and setting about untangling Artemis’s hair. For the most part, Artemis seems to be ignoring her entirely, only looking up from her work to exhale sharply when Zatanna pulls too hard at a knot. When Zatanna gets to actually braiding Artemis’s hair, Artemis relaxes a little and leans her back against Zatanna’s legs. Zatanna hums quietly, cutting off here and there to curse to herself when she messes up. Altogether it takes her twice as long as she expected, but by the time she is done, Artemis’s hair is pulled neatly into a picture-perfect fishtail braid, of which Zatanna is quite proud.

 

“Okay,” Zatanna says, voice singing with satisfaction. “You’re officially released. Thanks for the patience.”

 

After a long beat of silence, it occurs to Zatanna that she doesn’t hear Artemis’s pencil scratching against her notebook. She frowns and leans over, only to clasp her hand suddenly over her mouth, biting back a grin a second later. Artemis’s eyes are closed. When Zatanna shifts her legs, her friend hmphs in protest and turns her head, leaning her cheek into Zatanna’s knee.

 

“Artemis?” Zatanna say quietly, barely masking her mounting glee.

 

Artemis lets out a soft snore in response and Zatanna thinks this is it, it’s actually happening, they weren’t lying. She stops bothering to suppress her grin. It’s only a matter of moments before her phone is out and she is resting her head on top of Artemis’s, arm posed to take a selfie.

 

In the picture, Artemis’s mouth is slightly open, her face showing a rare absence of tension. She looks young and open in a way Zatanna has never seen her in real life. Coupled with Zatanna’s bright, easy smile, she thinks it’s actually, unironically a good picture. She considers making it her screensaver for a moment before imagining how much resistance Artemis would put up and snickering to herself. Zatanna studies the picture a second longer before sending it in the group chat, which almost immediately sets her phone off buzzing with responses from M’gann and Wally.

 

The sound causes Artemis to wake up, slow and bleary, looking for the source of the sound. Her eyes land on Zatanna’s flushed, apologetic grin and almost instantly, Artemis draws her eyebrows together in a frown.

 

“What did you do?” Artemis demands.

 

At that exact moment, Wally bursts into the room followed by the usual gust of wind. His eyes fall on Artemis, who is clamoring to her feet, and he clicks his tongue in disappointment.

 

“Aw, looks like Sleeping Beauty’s already awake,” he says.

 

Artemis practically growls and stalks out of the room. Wally trails after her, face plastered with a grin that could only be described as shitheaded.

 

Zatanna hears him tell her, “You know, I’m sure nobody even noticed how much you drool in your sleep.”

 

“Shut up, Wally,” Artemis says, but Zatanna catches her wipe at her mouth with her sleeve.

 

It’s a while before Zatanna stops looking back at the picture every few minutes and laughing all over again.

 

**V.**

 

Once Zatanna had fallen victim to Artemis’s cuddling, the team pretty much thought she had expanded the list as far as she would go. Artemis never seemed to let her guard down around Wally entirely, and she certainly couldn’t fall asleep while they were bickering, so he had never been a strong option. And Robin was out of the question. Sure, he cared about her deeply and he knew how much she had grown to trust him over the past months, but…Dick Grayson was still Dick Grayson, and he knew Artemis would never be that careless around him.

 

And, to her credit, it’s only in extenuating circumstances that she does, finally, slip up. She’d caught a cold during their last mission, which had turned out to be the flu, which wouldn’t have been that bad, except that Artemis would sooner let the flu kill her than admit to being sick. No amount of whining from Wally or concern from M’gann can convince her to stop dropping by the cave and go home and rest. Dick, for the most part, stays out of it. He’s content to mainly avoid her, keeping at minimum an arm’s length away and glaring warily every time she sneezes in his general direction.

 

He doesn’t even realize how sick she is until one day she stumbles out of the zeta tube and almost walks directly into the wall. He peers at her from his place on the couch, watching her progress shakily towards him. He greets her tersely, though his voice doesn’t seem to register to her at all. Her eyes never leave the empty spot on the couch next to him, which seems to be her goal. With every step, she blinks her eyes slowly, as if with effort, and when she breathes in too deeply he can almost hear her breath rattle with congestion. The sight of her is sad and disgusting and alarming enough that Dick doesn’t think to move out of her way until it is too late.

 

She flops down onto the couch with no regard for Dick’s presence. If she notices that her head is practically in his lap, she doesn’t acknowledge it, only turns her face into the couch cushions and exhales heavily. Dick tenses.

 

“Hey Artemis,” he says. “You wanna get up?”

 

Her response is muffled by the couch cushions so as to be unintelligible. He pokes her forehead pointedly, expecting to jar her into movement. But she only groans, and her forehead is way, way warmer than can be healthy, and Dick starts to feel honestly a little worried. He attempts to slide out from under her, but the movement sets her stirring, and she looks so upset and confused that his will stalls. With a sigh, Dick decides to wait it out and goes back to the book he’d been reading when she’d walked in, doing his best to tune her presence out entirely.

 

M’gann and Zatanna find them like that an hour later, Artemis’s head still leaning on his thigh like a pillow, Dick’s hand nudging her forehead every time he turns a page. M’gann and Zatanna blink at them for a moment before M’gann’s face dissolves into a worried frown and she surges forward.

 

“Poor thing,” M’gann sighs, hovering an arm’s length away with her hand out, as if unsure how to help.

 

“I’m not so bad, actually,” Dick says with a grim smile.

 

He looks away from M’gann just in time to see Zatanna quietly snapping a picture. Dick raises his eyebrows.

 

“Our dear friend Artemis is on her death bed here and you’re taking pictures?” he asks.

 

Zatanna smiles unapologetically. “Sorry, Robin. There’s no way the boys will believe this without photographic evidence.”

 

M’gann shoots Zatanna a warning look.

 

“What is it you’re supposed to eat when you’re sick? On earth, I mean,” she says. “ _Hello_ , Megan! Chicken soup. I’ll go make some.”

 

As she turns to leave, Zatanna calls after her, “Hey, M’gann, what’s Batman’s phone number again?”

 

Dick throws a pillow at her. He watches it hit her squarely in the stomach with some satisfaction, shaking his head and smiling when she only laughs in response.

 

**(+ VI.)**

 

Wally knows that Artemis Crock, actual ninja, being a total cuddle fiend is objectively hilarious. Sure, there’d been a moment there when she reserved her cuddling solely for Conner and Kaldur that he had accused her of feigning innocence as an excuse to snuggle with boys he knew for a fact she found hot. He’s not sure he ever actually believed that, or why he’d been so irritated at that thought, but her responding look of abject disgust and outrage had put any doubts he had to rest. Especially once M’gann and Zatana made it into the rotation, it became clear that it was just a question of Artemis feeling comfortable enough around someone to let her guard down.

 

Except, if that were the case, and it was, then it’s really, really difficult for Wally to not take it personally that he’s never been on the receiving end of this phenomenon. At first, maybe they’d been too busy yelling at each other for her to ever fall asleep, and then they were so rarely alone that he could maybe write it off as lack of opportunity. But lately, it was different. In the past month, they’d been outright chummy with one another. Her biting remarks had lost any venom, giving way to fond teasing, and he’d finally started to master the art of hanging out with her without getting flustered and putting his foot in his mouth. All joking aside, Wally thought he at least merited the same level of trust as the rest of the team.

 

“I wouldn’t worry about it too much,” M’gann tells him, patting him gently on the shoulder.

 

The look of amused understanding she exchanges with Conner is enough to make Wally roll his eyes. He hadn’t meant to let slip that it genuinely bothered him; he’d only brought it up as a throwaway, thoughtless joke, except nobody will believe that, and now Kaldur, M’gann, and Zatanna are taking turns reassuring him that Artemis doesn’t hate him. Which he’d never thought in the first place, but the more they repeat it, the less assured he feels.

 

“Yeah,” Robin grins. “Maybe you just smell really bad or something.”

 

“You’re hilarious,” Wally says, scowling.

 

Robin making the cuddle list is a mystery that Wally still hasn’t solved. He thinks Robin might even still be confused by it, not that his friend would let a lack of understanding keep him from lording it over Wally forever. There’s something sly and personal in the way Robin keeps teasing him about it, like he knows how often the idea of Artemis curled against Wally finds its way into his mind and has no intention of letting Wally forget it. Go figure that he would be the only one left out when he’s also maybe the only one who can’t stop thinking about how much he earnestly wants to see Artemis that relaxed, that trusting around him. He tries not to read too much into it.

 

It’s also completely freaking typical that when Wally does get his wish, he is willing to give just about anything to take it back. The team is out on a mission and, while they’re not technically losing, they’re sure as hell not doing very well against the team of armed guards sent to stop them. He’s doing his best impression of a bowling ball, opting to knock as many down as possible and leave it to the better trained fighters on the team to keep them down.

 

Artemis is the first to catch on to this strategy. While Rob, Superboy, and Kaldur grapple with their own opponents, Artemis follows in Wally’s wake, shooting foam-secreting arrows into the small piles of men Wally has brought down. She’s doing an admirable job of keeping up with Wally’s super speed, loosing arrows with incredible precision and swiftness. Wally stays focused and on task and all, but also he does maybe take a minute to pause and admire her, grinning when he catches her eye. She shakes her head in response, her own smile tugging at her lips. When she turns to loose the next arrow, she is only tenths of a second too slow.

 

One of the guards has found his weapon beside him on the floor. He pulls the trigger just as Artemis’s arrow lodges itself in his wrist. It’s enough to send some kind of advanced tech energy blast straight at Artemis. She twists to the side to dodge, but it still grazes her ribs, leaving singed fabric and raw skin in its wake. She collapses before Wally can reach her.

 

Everything in him is screaming so violently in distress that it takes a moment for him to realize that he’s shouting her name across the link. It takes another moment for Kaldur’s calm thoughts to pierce his panic.

 

 _Wally_ , Kaldur says. _There is nothing we can do for her until we put this battle to rest._

 

He knows pretending not to hear is a terrible strategy when it comes to telepathic communication, but he’s also way past letting Kaldur’s logic keep him from going to Artemis’s side. His hand presses into her wound, trying to assess the damage. It comes back warm and red with blood. Her eyes flutter.

 

 _I’m fine_ , she says across the link. _Don’t be an idiot._

 

 _Kinda need you to focus up here, Wally_ , Dick says.

 

Wally swallows. He jerks his head, half nodding, half shaking himself out of his stupor. When he straightens his eyes are narrowed, his body vibrating as much with rage as with energy. He sets back to work knocking guards down, now sharper, more targeted, almost personal. Robin and Superboy take on the task of disarming the fallen guards while M’gann, Zatanna, and Kaldur work on blocking off the entrances.

 

It’s sloppy work and slower than he can stand, but when it’s over, it’s technically their victory. Wally barely notices. He doubts anyone else on the team does, either. They’re all rushing to Artemis’s fallen form wearing matching expressions of fear and worry.

 

Artemis, M’gann probes the link, trying to ascertain her level of consciousness.

 

Artemis doesn’t quite respond with words, but there’s a surge across the link, an energy that feels distinctly like her mind, and she lets out an audible whimper. Wally’s stomach roils reflexively, which might just be a natural side effect of using “Artemis” and “whimper” in the same sentence. She’s too pale and her skin is clammy and he knows distantly that she’s not in critical condition or anything, but she’s losing blood and she’s not opening her eyes and Wally’s throat feels thick and raw.

 

M’gann is shaking noticeably when she turns to face the team.

 

“The bioship is too far,” she says, out loud, like she doesn’t want Artemis to hear.

 

“There’s a zeta tube a couple miles away,” Robin says.

 

He doesn’t look at Wally when he says it, but he doesn’t need to. Wally bends down and scoops Artemis into his arms, careful to support her head with his shoulder and press his hand firmly against her wound to slow the bleeding.

 

“No hospitals. They won’t know what to do,” Robin says, gently. “Batman will make sure someone is waiting at the cave to treat her.”

 

Wally nods curtly and takes off. He doesn’t slow down once. Not when his stomach grumbles, not when the adrenaline from the fight wears off and his own injuries start to protest, and not even when Artemis stirs in his arms. She moans gently and presses her face into the space between his collarbone and his throat, arms tightening around his neck. There’s a warm wetness where her closed eyes press against the thin fabric of his suit and he can feel her trembling. He tightens his own grip and speeds up.

 

It’s a matter of minutes before they reach the zeta tube, and seconds from there before he’s bursting through the cave and searching wildly for someone to help. True to his word, despite the odds, Batman has sent some kind of doctor to greet them. Wally thinks he recognizes the man, knows he has some kind of connection to the Justice League, but wastes no time making introductions or asking questions. He sets Artemis down on the couch. Without hesitation, the doctor sets to tearing the scraps of Artemis’s costume away to clean the wound. The only thing that keeps Wally from spilling over with thanks is the dull fear that it would only distract him from dressing Artemis’s wound.

 

Not wanting to be in the way, Wally settles in a chair across the room. He wrings his hands as he watches. He doesn’t look away from the angry gash in Artemis’s side except to glance at her face for signs of waking and once to gather supplies at the doctor’s request. When Artemis’s eyes start to flutter open, he is the first to spot the movement.

 

“Doc,” he says, voice thick and urgent.

 

Artemis pinches her face into a pained frown. Her eyes open and close rapidly, as if searching but unable to focus.

 

“Wally,” she gasps.

 

Just like that, he is at her side, clutching her hand and repeating meaningless, stupid things like _it’s okay, I’m here, you’re going to be okay._ Either it’s enough to appease her or the pain is too much to tolerate, because her face smooths out and she slips into unconsciousness again. The doctor finishes wrapping her torso in gauze. He tries to give Wally after-care instructions to relay to Artemis later, but, upon realizing that Wally is pretty much useless with worry and exhaustion, opts to write them down instead and departs wordlessly.

 

When the rest of the team arrives in the bioship, Wally is still at Artemis’s side, on his knees in front of the couch, his hand is still wrapped tightly around hers. M’gann pauses to set her hands on his shoulders in solace, and Kaldur brings him something to eat, but otherwise, no effort is made to move him. Zatanna, pale and quiet, settles in the chair Wally had been sitting in earlier. M’gann sinks into the carpet by Zatanna’s feet, joined shortly after by Conner, and then by Kaldur. Robin chooses the empty spot next to Wally, his back turned to lean against the couch, facing away from Artemis.

 

They sit like that in silence for nearly an hour before Wally falls asleep, his head laid out on Artemis’s stomach like a pillow, careful to avoid aggravating her injury. In the night, her hands find the top of his head and twine through his hair, tender and gentle. When the two of them wake up, Robin is already gone and M’gann is in the kitchen making breakfast. There is no mention of a picture, no delicate teasing, only a long, silent look between Wally and Artemis before she slides her hands from his head and pushes herself into an upright sitting position. Wally clears his throat and stands.

 

“Glad to see you’re, uh, feeling better,” he says.

 

The don’t talk about it again.


End file.
